A Beautiful Mess: A Perfectionist's Journey Through Self-care

In a society obsessed with perfection, it is not surprising that so many women—especially Christian women—are breaking beneath the burden of expectation. With airbrushed cover models and “reality TV” blaring in stereo sound, it is no wonder women are abusing themselves, literally, to maintain the perception of perfection. If you are exhausted from trying to keep it all together or feel anxious at the thought of someone “finding you out” and calling you a fraud; if you are at the breaking point from meeting the demands of everyone else and always putting yourself last or simply beating yourself up because of your imperfections—this book was written for you. In her debut book, Kristin Ritzau shares her very personal journey to overcome crippling perfectionism. As she navigated a new marriage, endured a quarter-life health crisis, and was forced to redefine the God of her childhood, Ritzau discovered freedom in accepting she was a beautiful mess. She didn’t need to clean up her “perfect” life any longer. It was only through examining the emotional, mental, physical, sexual and spiritual facets of herself, that she experienced the Holy Spirit’s healing: acceptance, contentment and rest. A Beautiful Mess will help readers do the same by introducing practices such as contemplative prayer, art journaling, and “playing in your body” while demystifying the self-care journey. The best part of Ritzau’s story is that she is sharing it—to help other women heal and discover their own beautiful mess.